Why Constitutional Amendment in Bulgaria is Good Signal for Ukraine

The leading pro-Western forces in Bulgaria, GERB-SDS, and the bloc Continuing Changes – Democratic Bulgaria, have agreed on a rotational principle of governance. According to this agreement, political forces will not formally create a coalition, but each of them will have its own government, which will work for one and a half years.

This agreement not only allowed to overcome the political crisis but also strengthened Bulgaria's support for Ukraine, including military assistance, and if necessary, overcame the presidential veto for this purpose.

And now the coalition has "matured" to pass constitutional changes that limit the president's powers during political crises.

Read about the consequences of these amendments in the article by Yurii Panchenko, EuroPravda's editor: Strike against pro-Russian president: what consequences will constitutional amendments in Bulgaria bear.

"Bulgarians will pay a high price for experimenting with the constitution. My duty as the head of state is to appeal to the Constitutional Court," said Rumen Radev in response to the adoption of constitutional amendments in the final third reading.

Radev's outrage is understandable. Now, he will not be able to appoint a head of a technical government of his choice in the event of a political crisis.

Constitutional amendments clearly shape the list of individuals who can be appointed as the technical prime minister: the Speaker of Parliament, the head of the Bulgarian National Bank, or its deputy, the head and deputy head of the Audit Office, the ombudsman, or his deputy.

If all these officials refuse to take up the position of the technical government head, the new prime minister must be elected not by the president but by the parliament – now without restrictions.

In addition, constitutional amendments allow to appoint individuals with dual citizenship to state positions.

This norm legalises the return to the country's politics of Bulgarians who have long left the country, taking on dual citizenship in one of the EU countries. Pro-government parties note that similar norms exist in all other EU countries, except Bulgaria.

The rest of the amendments relate to the de-monopolisation of the power system in accordance with EU recommendations.

The powers of the Prosecutor General are limited (the election of a new prosecutor general is also envisaged), and the Supreme Judicial Council is divided into two bodies: the Supreme Council of Prosecutors and the Supreme Judicial Council.

The opposition, however, is expected to gain additional powers, as without its votes, the appointment of regulators' heads becomes impossible. Now two-thirds of the MP votes are required, as well as for constitutional amendments.

What consequences will the current constitutional amendments bear?

Firstly, the judicial reform is intended to convince sceptics among EU countries that Bulgaria meets the criteria for joining the Schengen Area.

As for the reduction of the president's powers, in this way, the parliamentary majority is preparing for new elections scheduled for 2026.

And, most importantly, constitutional changes will prevent the president from abusing his powers to "promote" his political force.

Thus, significantly reducing the risks of Bulgaria returning to an openly pro-Russian policy.